Daily Sprout

Josie Garthwaite

Apr. 29, 2009 - 3:30 PM PDT
Apr. 29, 2009 - 3:30 PM PDT

Tesla Model S Test Drive: The first person outside of the company to drive Tesla’s Model S concept car says the vehicle is “just barely ambulatory — more like a glorified golf cart than a harbinger of tomorrow tech.” — LA Times

Segway Maker’s Next Step: Never mind the new deal with GM. Segway inventor Dean Kamen is reaching back to an 1800s combustion engine in hopes of mass-producing a small hybrid-electric car that could serve as a mini electric plant for villages in the developing world. — Christian Science Monitor

Verenium Gets a New CFO: Struggling ethanol developer Verenium Corp. has named James Levine — formerly of Goldman Sachs’ energy and utilities groups — as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer. — Mass High Tech

Smart Grid Funding Guidelines Under Fire: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to scrap guidelines for competitive grants that would award federal stimulus funding for smart grid tech that he said will severely reduce the amount of funding available to states. — Associated Press

Specter’s Switch: Senator Arlen Specter’s switch over to the Democratic party is unlikely to significantly alter the prospects for President Barack Obama’s energy and climate change agenda in Congress. — Greenwire via NYT